Allan Kelly

Program Host

Allan Kelly

Allan Kelly is host of Distant Mirror which airs Fridays at 10 pm.

Allan has been hosting Distant Mirror since 1992. His interest in classical music goes back to the early seventies when he worked an overnight shift at KWAV in Monterey, California while attending UC Santa Cruz by day studying medieval and Renaissance history. During his air shift he would play much early music which seemed to provide a perfect ambience for study. His program director, who was also a cellist in the local orchestra, became a good friend and mentor.

In 1976 he received his Masters in Medieval/Renaissance studies from Rutgers University and went on to teach Western civ courses for a short time at Spartanburg College in South Carolina. He has worked nearly every musical format over the years, including a ten-year gig at WSSH in Boston. But classical music has always been his format of choice and in the nineties when he began here at WWFM he was at long last able to combine his love of medieval/Renaissance history with the music from both those periods. Distant Mirror has also afforded him the opportunity to meet local early music musicians, and every fall he emcees a yearly Early Music festival.

He is fortunate that his companion Judy (whom he calls Lady J) is also a classical music enthusiast, and they spend much of our time attending local and regional concerts. Having played guitar in his youth - although not very well - his goal is to someday have a go on the lute.

Ways to Connect

It's the music of 13th century French trouveres Adam de la Halle this week on Distant Mirror. Adam was in the service of Robert of Anjou, brother of Louis IX. He wrote chansons, motets and rondos and you can hear several of these as the Dufay Collective peroform from their CD On the Banks of the Seine. There are also two selections by John Dowland, three songs by 15th century English composer Robert Morton, and church music by Tudor composer Christopher Tye. Join Allan Kelly Friday night at 10.

The Ensemble Clement Janequin visits Distant Mirror with the top tunes of the 1550's from their collection called Fricassee Parisienne: Popular Chansons from the French Renaissance. Hear selections by Sandrin, Sermisy, Crecquillon and others. Then, one of the more popular suites of dances from the late Renaissance, the Terpsichore Dances of Michael Praetorius performed by the Early Music Consort of London under David Munrow. We conclude with the Magnificat of English Tudor composer Christopher Tye. The Choir of Magdalen College, Oxford performs.

Leonin and Perotin were, successively, masters of music at Notre Dame cathedral, Paris, around the year 1200, just after the great edifice was built, and they were the first composers that we know of who employed polyphony, Leonin for two voices and Perotin for four, and on Friday's Distant Mirror you can hear their Viderunt Omnes andSederunt Principes performed by the Early Music Consort of London and the Hilliard Ensemble. There's also some secular music on the program as the Newberry Consort perform selections from their CD Il Solazzo.

Soprano Emma Kirkby joins Gothic Voices with three selections by 12th Century abbess and mystic Hildegard of Bingen as well as three selections from John Dowland's last song cycle, A Pilgrim's Solace, accompanied by lutenist Anthony Rooley. There's also consort music by Orlando Gibbons and a Dufay sacred piece for voice and sax(!). Join Allan Kelly on Friday's Distant Mirror.